Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones has a multimillion-dollar judgment hanging over his head after losing a lawsuit regarding the infamous shooting outside a Las Vegas strip club where he “made it rain.” So on that scale, losing $90,000 in pay isn’t all that significant.
But Jones is still unhappy over two fines totaling $90,000 imposed by the league office.
According to Bengals.com, Jones told reporters that he was fined $15,000 this week for a horse-collar tackle against the Redskins. He also revealed that he was fined $75,000 before this season for an incident in a Cincinnati bar during the lockout in 2011. The NFL’s ability to discipline Jones for off-field conduct at a time when the owners had shut down the league was the subject of some controversy, and until Jones mentioned the $75,000 fine, we hadn’t heard what the final discipline turned out to be in that case.
Jones said he isn’t optimistic about appealing.
“Adam Jones has never won an appeal with the NFL,” Jones said, discussing himself in the third person.
Jones also said he doesn’t think the NFL’s policies on fining players for on-field indiscretions are fair, noting that he was fined more for what he views as a borderline horse-collar tackle than players are typically fined for late hits.
“I’m not happy about it,” Jones said. “If you look at the film, like you should look at it, it’s clear that I had the jersey. I could see if it’s a late hit. No way a guy gets $10,000 for a late hit and I get $15,000. It’s ridiculous. If I hit somebody late, it should be more than a horse-collar for a frst offense.”
Ultimately, Jones said, he won’t change his ways on the field.
“I’m going to be physical,” he said. “I’m not going to stop playing hard becaue I get fined every week. My goal is to play hard, play smart, play fast. If I get fined within those lines, it is what it is.”
But maybe that $75,000 will help persuade Jones to change his ways off the field.